Thursday, January 29, 2009

Aussies Keep The Queen?

Australia current Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd is known as "life-long republican" [1]. As the United States celebrates its first African-American president, the people of Australia, are wondering whether they will ever have their own home-grown head of state [2]. In May 2008, a Morgan poll found 45% believe Australia should become a Republic with an elected President, while 42% support Australia remaining a Monarchy and 13% are undecided [1].

A central argument made by Australian republicans is that, as Australia is an independent country, it is inappropriate for the same person to be the head of state of more than one country. Republicans argue that a person who is resident primarily in another country cannot adequately represent Australia, either to itself or to the rest of the world. It is also claimed that Aborigines and Australians of Irish origin see the Australian Crown as a symbol of British imperialism [1].

Monarchists claim that the succession of an apolitical head of state provides a far more stable constitutional system compared to one involving appointing or electing a president who is likely to have a political agenda. Also, laws surrounding the line of succession, those that stipulate the eldest male is first in line, etc., can be altered without removing the Australian monarchy (although, in practice, such laws would require consent from the Parliaments of all the other Commonwealth Realms).[1]

Republicanism in Australia has traditionally been supported most strongly by urban working class of Irish Catholic background, whereas monarchism is a core value associated with urban and rural inhabitants of British Protestant heritage and the middle class [1].

There was "Republic Referendum" in November 1999. Opinion polls indicate that a majority of voters support Australia becoming a Republic as opposed to remaining a constitutional monarchy (McAllister 2001). But referendum result is fifty five percent of voters rejecting the Republic proposal [3].